Frank E Hayter Books

Frank Edward Hayter (b.1902) had dreamed of being a hunter in Africa so got a job as a taxidermist at London Zoo. He was then sent on an expedition to collect 100 baboons in the Ethiopian highlands in 1924. He had a hard time getting from Dire Dawa to the baboon location - stuck in a marsh, ambushed by Danakil warriors etc. He collected the 100 baboons but was cursed by a monk for stealing sacred animals. On the ship home, the baboons broke free from their crates and ran wild on the deck during a storm.

Hayter was so attracted to Ethiopia, returning many times doing anything for a living there - rat and rare butterfly catching, mule driving and debt collecting until he made his name as a gold prospector. He spent years digging and panning for gold, convinced he would find the Queen of Sheba's mines. During this time he believed the monk's curse was taking effect on him - he became very weak, going from an athletic young man to a physical wreck. He allegedly found a cave full of gold treasure in a mountain called Tullu Wallel which was flooded before he could collect the gold. More contemporary authors dismiss Hayter as unreliable and rather too influenced by the Rider Haggard novels.

Gold Of Ethiopia by Frank E Hayter (1936) is an account of Hayter's second expedition through Ethiopia, sometimes hunting elephants, sometimes travelling with native tribes in the most remote regions. In ths book Hayter claims to have found a shaft full of gold in the mountains of west Ethiopia which he claims was the source of the wealth of the Queen of Sheba.

In Quest Of Sheba's Mines by Frank E Hayter (1935) is another account of an adventurous expedition in search for the legendary mines of the Queen Sheba. During most hazardous trek lasting some twelve mounths the author actually discovered ancient caves and gold workings which he claims to be the site of Sheba's Mines. Apart from the story of the expedition itself Hayter describes the native customs and habits such as the method of calling or frightening off lions with a bamboo trumpet.

African Adventurer by Frank E Hayter (1939) autobiographical account of exploration in the mountains and jungles of Ethiopia.